Don’t let the film title ‘Elle’ deceive you. This is not a French romantic drama. Leave it to Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven to make the most provocative movie of the year. It is an erotic thriller that includes a brutal assault on the protagonist. It is difficult to imagine any other actress in the lead role. Isabelle Huppert delivers a tour-de-force performance. She gives her character complexities and nuances that make you want to keep watching her. There are plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing to the suspenseful climax. Is it a rape/revenge drama, a psychological thriller or a dark comedy? One thing is certain. Verhoeven refuses to play it safe with conventional tropes. ‘Elle’ is unsettling but with Huppert in the lead role, it is a must-see for cinephiles.
The film opens with a black screen and the sounds of breaking glass. There is a struggle between a man and a woman. The camera cuts to a grey cat with big green eyes. The next shot reveals Michele (Huppert) with a torn dress pinned to the floor by a man hidden in a black ski mask. It’s an uncomfortable and abrupt scene to witness. After he runs out the door, she simply lies there for a moment and gazes at the ceiling. Instead of calling the police like most women would do after being raped, she sweeps up the broken glass, tosses the dress in the trash can and orders sushi. Afterwards, she takes a bubble bath when she notices blood gathering around the suds. It’s her unusual response to the sexual attack that sets the tone for ‘Elle.’
We soon learn that Michele is the CEO of a successful videogame company. She barks orders at her male staffers. She is a strong and independent woman but not exactly likable. It seems like everyone in her life is somewhat dysfunctional. It’s when we meet her friends and family that the dark comedy begins to appear in her life. She has a ne’er-do-well son Vincent (Jonas Bloquet) who is completely controlled by his pregnant girlfriend, Josie (Alice Issaz). Since her son works at a fast food restaurant, she has to pay for the couple’s extravagant apartment. Michele deals with her mother Irene who is in a relationship with a young gigolo (Raphael Lenglet). Her ex-husband and moderately successful novelist Richard (Charles Berling) is in an inappropriate relationship with a yoga instructor (Vimala Pons) half his age. On top of all that Michele is having an illicit affair with Robert (Christian Berkel) who happens to be married to her business partner Anne (Anna Consigny).
For some reason, every man in Michele’s life is flawed. At a dinner party she throws in her tony Parisian home, she flirts with her handsome neighbor Patrick (Laurent Lafitte) under the table with her foot. It’s a deadpan performance from Huppert. She plays a sexually assertive woman. Is Verhoeven making a point that men are intimidated by aggressive women? It’s anyone’s guess. Michele is so ambiguous that it is not easy to understand her motivations. It’s not clear whether the sexual attack was a horrific nightmare or if it was an erotic turn on for her. Adapted from Phillipe Dijan’s novel “Oh…” the screenplay by David Birke gets pretty kinky at times. Here’s a woman that endures her share of trauma but through it all she has nerves of steel and is in control of the men in her life. She even starts a cat-and-mouse game with the assailant and never plays the victim like in a conventional Hollywood revenge picture.
Like him or hate him, Verhoeven knows how to make an entertaining movie. He is a risk taker and never tries to duplicate past successes. His filmography includes ‘Starship Troopers,’ ‘Basic Instinct’ and ‘Showgirls.’ Verhoeven is a provocateur to the core and never shies away from making the audience feel uncomfortable. He wants to test your morals and he has the perfect muse in Huppert. In an interview, the Dutch auteur has stated that Huppert was the only actress talented enough to play the amoral Michele. The Academy may think so too and reward her with her first Oscar nomination. If you want to check out an actress at the top of her craft, Huppert delivers a brilliant performance in the psychological thriller ‘Elle.’
